How the Buddha Got His Face
Ranked: Who Were History’s Greatest Military Strategists?
A chance encounter with medieval art
The ambience of art galleries is usually made up of sanitized halls, soft instrumental music and elegant flower arrangement. There is a person to walk you through the subtle features of each composition and if you are a special guest, the artist would himself turn curate for you. But that is for regular art galleries. […]
In a sanctuary of faith
The inner sanctum of the Narayana temple was cloaked in impenetrable darkness. That did not deter the elderly priest from walking swiftly past me, his eyes either better accustomed to the dark or his soul more enlightened to see the Lord where I could not. A moment after he entered the Lord’s chamber, the darkness […]
Sufi island stands on an ancient site
Thanesar is a bit confusing to a first-time visitor. For one thing, it is quite impossible to understand when the temple town of Kurukshetra has gone past and when Thanesar has begun, so closely intertwined are the alleys and lanes of the two. But if the visitor is of a curious bent of mind and […]
Dholavira: A monument to foresight
The drive from Bhuj to Dholavira takes a little over four hours. Gradually, the browns and greens of the countryside give way to the white sands of the Rann, broken occasionally by the colourful attire of passing Rabari or Ahir folk, nomadic pastoral tribes of this region. The stark and sometime marshy landscape that a […]
A journey to Crow Hill
‘Kauwa Dol’ must be the most interesting name for a heritage site anywhere in the country. But beyond the name, the heritage tucked away at this site must rank alongside Bihar’s finest. Kauwa Dol is a study in contrasts – while its archaeological remains are rich in antiquity, the site remains obscure. Even visitors to […]
Lasting Faith in Kanpur Temple
It is a curious observation that several villages in Uttar Pradesh have ‘Bujurg’ suffixed to their names? Kushinagar district has a Rampur Bujurg and a Pipra Bujurg, there exists a Bisanda Bujurg in Banda, a Bistauli Bujurg in Gorakhpur – that’s just to name a few. While it is difficult to be sure about the […]
A Graveyard in Kalpi
A journey south-west from Lucknow towards Jhansi is a bit like going into a different universe. Once Lucknow and Kanpur are left behind, there are no more large cities, the greens and browns of the countryside become the dominating colours, there are more trucks and tractors than cars on the road and the air is […]
Hidden Heritage in Kanpur Rural
This Hidden heritage story will take readers beyond known sites, plunging deep into the Kanpur rural countryside. These sites are either a mystery to locals or are unprotected by the ASI. To make journeys safer and better planned, a series of kos minars was built at regular intervals. The first site is linked to the […]
